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HOUSTON – As the Texans cut their roster down to 53 players for the regular season, the team chose to release veteran punter Shane Lechler. Lechler was involved in a training camp competition with rookie Trevor Daniel, and Daniel won out.

“Shane Lechler’s one of the best pros I’ve ever been around,” Texans coach Bill O’Brien said. “He was a great leader here, was a captain. In my opinion, he’s a Hall of Fame punter. We try to make decisions in the best interest of the team, but sometimes those decisions are very difficult. Shane’s a Texas legend. He’s a guy who grew up in this state, comes from a coaches’ family. I have a great deal of respect for Shane and wish him the best.”

“I know one thing, I fought as hard as I could every day,” Lechler said after Thursday night’s win against Dallas. “Every time we went out there and punted against each other, it was a game day for me. I have no regrets.”

The Texans also elected to let go of offensive lineman David Quessenberry. Quessenberry returned from a battle with cancer in 2017. He appeared in two games for the Texans last season.

“There’s a big difference between football and life,” O’Brien said. “He’s overcome a really horrific form of cancer. To come back and actually play professional football, that’s incredible. His story will always be legendary here in Houston. David is really an awesome human being.”

The Texans will finalize their roster this weekend. Houston opens up the regular season on Sept. 9 with a visit to the New England Patriots.